What a delicious story! So on the average day, we pick up a novel depicting a gorgeous heroine who turns every head around right? Well, our dear Avery Flynn has decided to give it to us straight and showcase one of us that isn't so perfect for a change! It's fun, it's sad, it's oh so true ... and best yet, it teaches a message if you're willing to open your eyes and see it. Words hurt people ... and we all deserve love and true friends as much as the next person! I adored Gina and Ford together, the secondary cast of family and friends were great additions, and the overall plot was interesting. Looking forward to more in the series!

Wedding planner Gina Luca knows she's not pretty. Life has been one hard lesson after another in what's expected and acceptable and she's just simply not it, but she's top notch at what she does, dependable, and the bomb when it comes to being a friend, so it's not all bad! She thought she was over the mob mentality anxiety that grew from her childhood trauma at the hands of the other not so nice kids, but when she has the bad luck of being stuck by the most handsome man in the room on a Kiss Cam at a wedding, she's mortified! They can't expect this guy to kiss her ... he'd never live it down!

Detective Ford Hartigan is only too happy to get his hands on her, but isn't sure why she seems so put off by him. Once he catches wind of the razzing she gets on a fairly regular basis, he gets why she thinks he wouldn't take her seriously ... but he's here to tell her that he does. He likes her ... a lot! Only problem is, his job just might be pushing him in her direction as well to see what kind of info might be floating around about her mobster brothers!

This is the first time in I don’t know how long, that I’ve read a book in 3rd person POV and managed to forget that I was. Usually it takes me out of the story as I much prefer 1st POV. But, Butterface did a great job of hooking me from the very first page.
Gina Luca isn’t your typical gorgeous girl, bursting at the seams with confidence and sex appeal. She has a beautiful body but her face isn’t quite picture perfect. She’s lived with derision and ridicule her whole life because of this and when she meets Ford Hartigan at a wedding she’s not ready for what follows. From a forced kiss on a Kiss-Cam, to having Ford move in to ‘protect’ her when her long lost grandpa turns up in the most unexpected place.
Ford is a detective with the Waterbury Police, he loves rules, and following them to get where he wants has got him to where he is today. But, Gina is an exception he just wasn’t ready to give up.
This was a fabulous, hot and sexy, hilarious story. The main characters were perfect foils for each other and the secondary ones helped bring the whole story to life. I can’t wait to read the next book about Ford’s firefighter brother Frankie.

Gina Lucas has accepted that love and marriage is not in the cards for her but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t believe in it and that is why she loves her job as a wedding planner. While overseeing the latest wedding the kiss cam is pointed her direction and due to being bullied for her looks in the past all she wants to do is flee but the sexy man next to her is not about to let her escape so easily.

Ford is a Detective so when his Captain finds out about the tape he wants Ford to find out information from Gina about her brother’s relationship with the Esposito crime family. When Gina makes a discovery while renovating her home Ford comes to investigate.

Full of humor and emotion Gina is finding it hard to believe that someone like Ford would be interested in someone like her while Ford tries to balance the responsibilities of his job with his feelings for her. I loved both their families and the chemistry between them was explosive. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is the first book in this series by this author. OMG !!! what an amazing read, I just couldn't put this book down. This is a sweet, hot and steamy story. This author has a fantastic way of bringing the characters to life. Amazing characters you just fall in love with as you read. I can't wait to read more in this series and from this author in the future.



Highly recommended

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

Butterface is a fun sexy read! I loved Ford and Gina’s story. Her family has ties to the crime family and he’s a cop. A kiss on a kiss cam, a fake boyfriend story and now a find in the home she’s remodeling puts them in each other lives. He tells her she needs protection and he’s there to help, but his superior has him there for another reason. Ford lives his life by the rules, but his feelings for Gina can’t be denied. Chemistry, secrets, crazy families and some laugh out loud moments make this a great read! Looking forward to more in this series!!!

3.5 stars

I'm a big fan of the "not so beautiful"people getting their HEA. Real people need love too. Butterflies is sweet and cute. Filled with self deprecating humor and mean jokes from trolls, Butterface has its ups and downs.

Learning to love ones self is hard and Gina has a long way to go. With a little help from Officer Never Breaks the Rules, or Detective Hartigan, Gina is going to learn a lot about herself.

Personally, I'm not sure romantic comedy is the right way to describe this book. I thought it had amusing points but I wasn't laughing as much as I expected to.

Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood

Oh what an absolute DELIGHT and CHARMING and most MEMORABLE romantic comedy I have EVER read! The fact that this isn't your average rom-com THRILLED me. Add in a heroine who isn't drop dead gorgeous appealed to me in a way that I can't even describe. I LOVED THIS STORY!

Butterface just dug into my heart right from the start. It was cute, funny and with an undeniable meaning that most of us can relate to. This is one romantic comedy I will gladly, happily and with GUSTO scream from the rooftops to READ RIGHT NOW! Yes, this book is EVERYTHING and THEN SOME! I ADOOOOOOOORED Gina. To me, she was absolutely beautiful and caring and a whole lot of fun to be around, and our hero Ford is one that made my heart pound and my knees weak and not just because he was gorgeous. The way he treats Gina and falls for her had butterflies taking flight inside my stomach and made my heart SING. This really is a one of a kind romantic comedy. This brand new series from Avery Flynn has me HOOKED and I am BEGGING, like on my knees begging Miss Avery for the next one and SOON!

I give Butterface an AMAZING TEN MILLION BRILLIANT, BRIGHT, SHINNING STARS!

Hang in there with me on this one, folks. It’s going to get fangirly and gushy. I apologize in advance.

I loved everything about this book. I could probably end the review there. I loved the characters, the storyline, the dialogue, the author’s writing style...everything. It was a flawless read. But since that would make for a crappy review, here are some specifics about what I loved the most:

It’s not a makeover story:
Gina, the heroine, isn’t what you’d call “romance novel heroine” pretty. She doesn’t have that pert little nose, heart-shaped face, and Angelina lips we all read about in romance novels. She’s just average looking, and still, the hot guy falls ass-over-elbow for her because of her inner beauty. He also finds her physically attractive just the way she is. (And it works better if you read that “just the way she is” part in Mark Darcy’s voice) And a big part of what he loves her for (other than the fact that she’s a smart, funny, hard-working woman) is her confidence. Gina LIKES who she is. She doesn’t want to have surgery or get a makeover to get her man. She’s happy with her life, even if she never finds a man to share it with. Sure, she has occasional bouts of insecurity. (I mean, who among us doesn’t?) But she carries on and doesn’t let those insecurities and past hurts overtake her. She’s not a wallower or a whiner. She’s strong and confident and comfortable in her own skin. And to me, that puts Gina right up there with the greatest romance novel heroines of all time.

The hero:
Ford is a great romance hero. He’s smart, good at his job, sensitive without being a wuss and alpha without being an alphahole. He’s also super sexy, which never hurts. He never once feels the need to “fix” Gina. He also fails to see the ugliness the superficial a-holes in his precinct see when they look at Gina. All Ford sees the amazing, beautiful, hilarious and smart woman Gina truly is. Sure, he keeps some secrets from Gina that I wish he wouldn’t have, but he did it for a good reason (in his mind, at least), so I cut him some slack on that. I’d happily add Ford to the “all-time-great book boyfriends” list I’m currently working on. He’s a keeper.

(Fair warning, though: outside of Ford’s family and Gina’s brothers, about 90% of the other men in town are douchenozzles of the highest order. You’ll want to nut-punch them while reading.)

The secondary characters:
The secondary characters here are AWESOME. They’re well-developed without being obvious sequel bait, and serve an actual purpose in the story. (You’d be surprised how many secondary characters I see in romance who serve no true purpose in the story other than to pop up at opportune times to offer sage love advice to the hero and heroine. I hate that.)

So, all that said, I stand by my first statement: I loved everything about this book. Also, I plan to 1-click the crap out of Frankie and Lucy’s story when it’s done. I highly recommend you read Butterface, then do the same. That is all.

Full disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley at no charge.

Don't forget to check out the Romance Rehab blog for reviews, book lists, and fun romance-y stuff: http://www.romancerehab.com/

Butterface is a laugh-out-loud funny and sweet romantic comedy that gets the truth about love, and looks, right. Main character Gina Luca practices being honest with herself on the daily. She has a big nose, she has her dream job, and she has brothers with careers that aren't quite legal. She isn't expecting to win any beauty pageants, but her personality in this novel shines brighter than any beauty queen's smile. Ford Hartigan is a handsome guy, a cop unfortunately, and apparently blind, at least that's what Gina thinks. He's also got his own insecurities, as the only cop in a family of firefighter brothers and pretty sisters, he follows every single rule even if it isn't what he really wants. The two have a by-chance meeting, the kind that makes readers laugh and character's faces turn red. When the two are pushed together again it's an opportunity both take advantage of, unaware that they're allowing their insecurities to stop trust from building between them.

"He glanced down, making eye contact, and for a second they weren't the hottie and the nottie."

I loved Butterface, I wasn't expecting the true-to-reality story we got from Avery Flynn, but boy did I enjoy it. Gina is a classic romantic comedy woman, with a few flaws, some klutzy behaviors, and in her case a face she doesn't find beautiful, but someone else does. Ford is absolutely the most by the book cop I've ever read in a book, but it makes him endearing, especially with him falling for Gina and the family she belongs to. It seems too easy, a hot cop and a wedding planner and happily ever after, but the two have secrets and both struggle to overcome the image of themselves they've believed for so long. Avery Flynn tells an engaging romance that makes you both laugh and feel a bit of emotion as you hope that Gina one day realizes she's beautiful and deserving of love too. Ford and Gina don't have it easy, neither are perfect, but it makes their relationship and their chemistry all the more believable.

"Ford Hartigan, are you breaking the rules?"

Butterface is a powerful rom-com, it has a meaningful message built in with the laughs. It has a bit of a feminist roar to it, with Gina owning her flaws, fighting for her dream, and accepting only good into her life, even if it takes a few messy tries first. It's a story readers will embrace and connect with, because we all want to feel beautiful in our skin and loved for just being who we are. I really enjoyed this book and I definitely can't wait for the next. Avery Flynn has a new fan in me.

From the synopsis, you clearly pick up on the fact Gina, the heroine, had a past history of being picked on for being an ugly duckling in high school. What was surprising and unexpected was she is still cast in that very unfavorable role in the present, as well. To the point I gringed every time her looks were mentioned. Whether by herself or others, the bulging eyes, huge honker nose, and other disportionate facial features described twisted my stomach into knots. In heart break and anguish for her, my fellow romance book loving friends, because everyone, including herself, thought she was an unattractive, eye sore. You would think she resembled the hideous creature from the Black Lagoon. It just felt distasteful, disrespectful, and totally unnecessary to demonize her looks in such a repetitive, harsh, demeaning fashion. It ruined the book for me. It was plain and simply overkill.

Ford, the hero, of course, was supermodel gorgeous. To humanize him a little bit, so Gina would slightly be worthy breathing the same air as him, he was given a small quirk or two. Nothing major or overly annoying though. In fact, some may find those few things more a positive than negative aspect.

What actually endeared me the most was the unapologetic, ferocious protectiveness of Gina’s two gangster type brothers towards anyone who gave their baby sister any grief. Yeah, they would not hesitate twice about rearranging your face or other body parts if you disrespected or messed with her. I wanted to hug and high five them to thank them for having her back no matter what. Even though they could be a tad overzealous, she recognized and appreciated their unconditional love. It was the main thing she had going for her, and Ford was putting that in jeopardy.

It was pretty obvious where this storyline was headed, folks. Ford is lying to her from the get go and deceiving himself in the process. Well, this gal may be uglier than sin, but she’s not completely stupid. I wish I could have finished it to the end. I’m hoping all the many characters who made fun of Gina to and behind her back get a heaping dose of karma sent their way and regret every single hurtful remark. I simply couldn’t tolerate seeing a heroine being considered/treated this way for one single second longer.

Make no mistake, I normally love this author’s romantic tales. I wish her continued writing success. If the ugly factor had been toned down, I might have enjoyed it more. But by almost 70% into, I realized even the writing itself had not lived up to my expectations. I officially no longer cared if they got their HEA.

P.S. I’m surprised the cover didn’t feature the heroine wearing a big bag over her head instead of strategically placed balloons. It would have been more appropriate and fitting considering how most people, including herself, viewed her appearance.

Title: Butterface, Series: The Hartigans (Book 1), Author: Avery Flynn, Pages: 250, stand-alone but part of a series, very unattractive heroine with a sweet personality, gorgeous cop hero, very steamy scenes, didn’t want to finish, author I usually like., stopped at 70% into it.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

I loved escaping into this story which had me laughing out loud, it is a brilliant, fun and hot read with some tear jerker moments, too.

This is a lovely story as both main characters have loving families and different reasons for their personal insecurities. Ford Hartigan has always felt like the odd brother. He loves his siblings and family but they’re all firefighters and he’s the rebel rule follower who chose to become a police officer instead. At a wedding reception he’s attending, someone turns on a ‘kiss cam’ and he ends up kissing the wedding planner, Gina Luca. Gina is a much loved member of her family but she’s also always felt the odd one, she’s another one who is a rule follower unlike her family who are connected to the mob. Their ‘kiss cam’ kiss is unexpectedly hot and so is Ford but Gina has been teased for most of her life about her looks so has very low self esteem and looks for other motivations for Ford’s attentions.

As a discovery made by Gina as she strives to renovate her Victorian home gives Ford a reason to stay and get to know this enigmatic young lady. There are plenty of twists and turns in this emotional roller coaster ride - running through the full gamut of emotions whilst reading this story. It is a delightful read that I have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending. I’m also very glad it is the first in a new series as I can’t wait to read future books, though they’ll have to be great to live up to the standard of this one IMHO!

I entered a lottery and was fortunate enough to win an e-copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

Butterface by Avery Flynn is the First book in The Hartigans series. This is the story of Ford Hartigan and Gina Luca.
Gina was teased most of her life for her looks so she has settled into not getting into a love relationship but has turned to being a wedding planner for others. When working at a wedding a 'kiss cam' is turned on her and Ford they end up kissing. Which makes Gina start to rethink her relationship plans....but Ford is the hot cop so her self doubt does come into play. Also some of Gina's family are on the wrong side of the law...so it wouldn't be smart to get involved with a Cop.
Ford has different reason for going toward Gina but one is that he has started to have feelings towards her. When he comes to Gina saying that he needs to protect her ...Gina goes along with it but smart enough to know that there is something else at play her. But she puts him to work fixing up a family house that she has inherited.
This book was so fun to read...hot and just all around great book....loved it!

This story is for every one of the awkward girls who dreamed about being with the hot guy. Except in this story, the hot guy happens to be the black sheep of his family, so he know all about not fitting in.

The circumstances that bring Gina and Ford together are quite the comedy of errors -- and a bit of a cruel prank. A would-be one-night-stand leads to them being roommates because she needs a fake boyfriend to keep her doofus loan-shark brothers at arms length, and he needs an "in" to the crime family her brothers are a low-level part of. But while Gina is clear about why she's agreed to the terms of their faux romance, Ford hides his true intentions from her -- so things get really messy when feelings get involved.

I loved how real Gina is. She's so relatable as a character, and I was just cheering for her from the first kiss on the Kiss Cam. Ford was kind of like a bumbling fool when it came to his feelings for Gina, and that made him rather endearing. Their chemistry is hot, their banter is witty, and their mutual awkwardness made me absolutely fall in love with them. They both have crazy families, which just adds a whole lot of laughs to this story.

Overall, Butterface is a great series starter and I can't wait to see what comes next for the Hartigan family! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

This is a truly intriguing book. Don't take that the wrong way. It's sexy, funny, and completely entertaining just as we expect from this author but it also makes you stop and think about how events from our past can cling on and shape us into the people we are today. Gina Luca was the girl everyone liked to joke about in high school. Because of that she's strong, determined, and it takes a lot to ruffle her. So when a wedding video turns into a kiss cam featuring her and hot cop Ford Hartigan it feels like high school all over again. Thing is when they kissed it was magical leading Ford and Gina down a path neither ever expected.

This book is very well written with a great storyline, nice pace, and characters that are well developed and unforgettable. I definitely recommend this one.

This one swooped in on me, and I wasn't sure what to expect other than a rom-com. Well it was that and so much more. This book had so much going on it was always entertaining and never lacked with the plot. The characters were amazing, Gina was awesome, I can relate in a way to her. I think really we all can. This was a fantastic book that I couldn't put down.

Have to say, it was a bit confusing at first. But once I set myself up to read it properly, I got it and it got GOOD! The whole butterface thing used to bother me, a lot, but this book made it ok. Gina is that girl, the one that everyone loves to be friends with, but not one man was in love with her. Until, the KissCam at the wedding! When sparks fly for the wedding planner, you know things are going to be funny, whitty and laughable! Throw in some low level mobster brothers and a hot-AF cop and the book just gets going and going until you realize it is over. WHAT???? Knowing that this is a series and we will get more from Gina and Ford in the coming books is great. Frankie and Lucy are up next, cannot wait!

Bold and funny, Butterface delivered the hot romantic comedy as promised, but also struck a real-life chord with how hard the struggle often is to not be one of the “beautiful” people or fit into the societal norm.

It was hard not to fall in love with Gina. Despite being made fun of and being the butt of many a practical joke, she’s strong, driven, and smart, and she’s not afraid to use any of those traits to get what she wants to build a fulfilling life and career. She’s not convinced that she’ll ever find someone to love her just for her, so she’s convinced herself that love isn’t important – she has her family and her friends, and that will be enough.

Even though Gina sees Ford as one of the beautiful people, he’s carrying around his own baggage that makes him feel less. He’s got his own insecurities and is certainly a bit inept when it comes to social interactions, but he’s kind and fair, and, something that also serves him well as a detective, he knows better than to just look at the surface of something, he knows you need to look further to get a true picture of something…or someone.

Watching these two struggle to come together elicited all sorts of emotions. There was some great dialogue between the two – making me laugh out loud as well as sigh. It was also frustrating to watch Ford stumble over words and not be able to communicate his feelings and to see Gina’s heart breaking.

One thing that did bother me a bit more than I thought it would was the very bad behavior of Ford’s colleagues when it came to Gina’s looks. She may not have been beautiful in the classic sense, but it really made me very angry to hear them continually make comments about her looks. And I kind of wish that Ford would have found a way to set them straight – he never really confronted them, just kind of talked around their comments. I’m sure things like this happen in real life more often than I would like to believe, but I would like to think more people would stand up to people like that rather than just ignore that type of commentary. So, kudos to the author for eliciting such strong feelings in me – well played, or should I say written!

This is the first book in a new series, The Hartigans, that is set in the same Harbor City world as many other books by this author, so it was fun to see a little bit of a crossover between series. The Hartigan family seems to be filled with fun, colorful characters that are going to provide some great stories for future books in this series, and I can’t wait to dive into those when they are available.

This author is one that I know will not disappoint when I pick up one of her books. Guaranteed to deliver romance, steam, and some laugh out loud moments, Butterface is definitely worth adding to your TBR list!

Butterface is the first book in The Hartigans series and it’s a winner! I loved this story and these characters.

While it had it’s funny, sweet and very sexy moments of course (because Avery Flynn rocks at that!), it was more than that. Gina was such a strong character, despite everything she went through. And Ford, even with all the obstacles in their way, was so drawn to Gina. There was no stopping the magnetic pull towards her. I loved how he felt about her.

I really enjoyed reading Butterface. I was so rooting for this couple and the storyline kept me turning the pages!

I want to thank Avery for writing this story ❤️

**I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I think Gina might be one of my favorite romantic leads! Butterface has an underlying message that I truly think everyone needs to hear and Gina delivers! To paraphrase “I deserve to be loved because of who I am, not is spite of it.” Ford is the perfect foil for this story- mainly because of his inability to express his feelings.

I really did think Ms Flynn handled this story very well. Not only are Gina and Ford characters that are easy to like, the sense of their true attraction to each other comes off the page and feels genuine. I especially appreciated the fact that Ford never once saw the negatives that Gina saw in herself. From the beginning he saw her beauty, both inside and out.

If you have followed Ms Flynn’s previous works, you’ve meet the Hartigan family before, especially Ford’s sister Felicia. You will be glad to see her, and the rest of the siblings make appearances here as key secondary cast.

As this is the first “Hartigan” book - I am hoping we see glimpses of Gina and Ford going forward as we see the adventures of the remaining siblings.

Gina Luca is a wedding planner and it's her job to make sure every client's wedding runs smoothly and according to plan, but she begins to feel like she is losing control when her current clients families and friends hijack the kiss cam and turn it on her and the stranger beside her. They are expecting a kiss, but somewhere in the back of Gina's mind all she can think about are her days of being bullied in high school, and it makes her want to flee the situation immediately. But before she can the hunk beside her grabs onto her and plants one on her, and the man definitely knows how to kiss, he rocks her world! She knows she is out of his league, but she can't help but get a little wrapped up in the chemistry around her, if only it weren't one sided...

While at a friends wedding Ford Hartigan locks lips with the beautiful wedding planner, and as soon as his lips hit hers he feels the sparks, but she doesn't seem to want to embrace them, and tries to shy away from him. But he is a determined man, and when he wants something he goes after it, even if it comes with complications, and Gina has some serious hang-ups he can't even begin to understand... but lucky for her he is a patient man!

Between the pages of Butterface you will be hit with moments that melt your heart, moments that will have your tearing up, and moments that will leave you blushing, it's an unforgettable literary ride! It wasn't to hard to attach myself to these wonderful characters, they pulled me right into their world and made me feel right at home, had me feeling every emotion right along with them, and cheering them through every rough patch too! I must say it is one of my favorites from this author to date, she scored some serious points with this one, by tackling a tough subject and giving it a new light, one that I connected with, understood, found quite easily to embrace, and took inspiration from! I highly recommend you pick this one up, there is so much to love about it; the characters are amazing, the story line well crafted, and the message it passes on will leave you inspired!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am leaving my honest opinion.